Friday

Rep. Donald Moffitt says that older firefighters deserve same retirement deal as their younger counterparts. His solution would cost about $325,000.

Seeking to fix what he calls "an injustice," state Rep. Donald Moffitt is pushing legislation that would boost pension benefits for retired Illinois firefighters ages 81 and older.

House Bill 4644 addresses a discrepancy in how pension benefits and cost-of-living allowances were calculated for firefighters who retired before July 1, 1971, as compared to firefighters who retired after that date, said Moffitt, R-Gilson.

"I don’t view this as a pension increase. It’s a fairness issue," Moffitt told members of the House Personnel and Pensions Committee on Thursday. "It’s never too late to right an injustice."

Joe McCoy of the Illinois Municipal League told the committee that his organization opposes the legislation because of concerns about adding debt to pension funds.

According to estimates from the Illinois Department of Professional and Regulation’s insurance division, the measure would benefit no more than 29 retired firefighters, ranging in age from 81 to 99. The total cost of the proposal, if enacted into law, would be about $325,000.

The enhanced benefits, if eventually approved, would start on Jan. 1, 2009.

The number of firefighters who would be affected by the change is "dwindling, obviously, as this is being considered," Moffitt told the House panel.

The committee voted 3-0 Thursday to advance the bill to the House floor. Two committee members, Republican Reps. Raymond Poe of Springfield and Rich Brauer of Petersburg, voted "present," saying they believe the legislation needs further work.

To become law, Moffitt’s bill would need to pass the full House and Senate and be signed by the governor.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.